Machine for hooking rugs and the like



oa. 20,1925. l A 1,557,970 J. A. BORROWS ET AL CHINE FOR HOKING `RUGS AND THE LIKE Filad lay 19. 1925l :s sheets-snug 1 .5,2115 A 4in/.fra A' 1, .,.1 an .M4

6Invenlv'ons'. fm my@ yJ. A. BORROWS ET AL.

CHINE Fon Hooxme hues AND 'mz LIKE Filed lay 19. 1925 .l 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A; BORROWS, or PORTLAND, AND CHESLEYT. SABINE, or LEWISTON, MAINE, As- SIGNoRs, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, To JESSIE D. BIEDER., or PORTLAND, MAINE.

'MACHINE FOR HOOKING nues AND THE LIKEy Application filed May 19, 1925. Serial No. 31,436.

To all w hom it may concer/n.:

Be it'knovvn that we, JOHN A. BORROWS and CHESLEY T. SABINE, citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, of

Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, and Lewiston, in the county of Androscoggin and'State of Maine,`have invented new and useful Improvements in. a

, Machine for Hooking Rugs and the like,`fof which thefollowing isa specification.

'Our invention relates to a portablemachine employed in the manufacture, principally, of certain kinds ofrugs of which the l5 or other fabric and through which strips of cloth, string or Other pliable material is woven or threaded to form a substantially solid facing on the upper or tread side of the rug.

The especial'object of our invention is to provide 'a device operable by any convenient power means for doing that Work, which in the rug making art is termed hooking, in a rapid, accurate and automatic manner, the operator simplyl keeping the machine supplied with the hooking material and guiding it over the Surface of the sheet of material to be hooked.

Another object is to provide means for varying the length of the stitch, or the distance between the consecutive hookings, so that either a firm or loose facing may be Obtainedv still further obj ect is to con struct a machine with which it is possible toA produce different depths of facings-,so that a thick or thin rug may' result.

And in general,l our object is to 'supply the rug hooking trade'with a portable, easily operated and Strongly built machine in which isincorpo'rated facilities 'for' Operating the power yactuating elements withthe hand, of the operator', which does the guiding ofv the machine', and one which isadaptable to the-use of'av great `variety of material which to do the hooking.' work.v f Other objects Will be apparent in a preferable embodiment of our invention-l is illustrated, 'and in which ally characters. of reference -represent similar parts' s Fig. 1 is a' from-elevationefthe machine',

with 1 side of the cylinder and zontains'` the drivev from y.reach y ingthe specification'when taken in cOnnec-" tion withfthe accompanying dra WingSwhere-- Fig. 24 is a sectional elevation, taken on line 2-2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a -front elevation of the crank disc, connecting rods and a portion of the slides; Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4 4, Fig.2; f

Fig. 5 is 'a section taken on line.5-5, Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 -is a section taken on line. 6-6, i

7, 8 and 9V are sections showing difi Fig. 2; Figs.

ferent positions ofthe needlev `and follower lduring the operation of hooking; J base or body is composed of a sheet of burlap Fig. 15 is a Section through the upper part of the body of the machine, and the adapter used in making connection to a flexible shaft for actuating the hooker;

Fig. 16 is an inverted plan of thel drive thimble;

Fig. 17 shows the machine mounted On the v operating table and in a position as used in the hooking work, and l Fig. 18 shows the slides as they may be equipped with more than one needle and foliower.

Referring to the Figs. 1 and 2, 1 represents the cylindrical portion of the body or frame of the hooker', `9.a bearing extending through the rearward closed end and 3 n cover, attached to the cylinder by the screws 4. Depending 'from the Aunder side of the cylinder is,v a tubular. portion, the outside of which is formed'into the shape of a handle. or .hand-grip 5, andwith the bore, 5', e3 tending therethrough. Y Anotherv ,tubular projection, 6, extends upwardly from the top fixed on the shaft 12. This shaft (12) continues upwardly from the pinion, through the bearing 13, and is journalled at its upper end in the drive-sleeve 14 which has two flanges, 14 and 14, shouldering on the upper and lower ends, respectively, of the split collar 15. This collar (15) is fixed in the bore 6 by the set screws 16, and serves to hold the sleeve 14 against vertical movement within the projection 6, although allowing the former to rotate within the latter at 17 On the lower end of the drive-sleeve (14) is a hub 18, having a key-way 19 cut diametrically across its face. On the upper end of the clutch-ring 20 are keys 21, and these may at certain and predetermined times engage the key-way 19 on' the drivesleeve. At22 is a feather, or travelling key, which is fixed in the clutch-ring 20 and adaptable of length-wise movement in the key-way 23 in the shaft 12.

Projecting from each end of the clutchring 20 are flanges 24, and operating between these and on both sides of the clutchring body is a bifurcated lever 25 oscillatively hung on the pin 26 which is fixed in the ears 27.

A bearing 28 may be provided for taking care of the thrust, in one direction, of the shaft 12.

Fixed on the disc 8 is acrank-pin 29 and operating thereon is the connecting-rod 30. On an extended portion of this pin 29, 29', is fixed a link 31 extending diametrically across the face of the disc and having on its opposite end a crank-pin 32 on which operates the connecting-rod 33,--the disc together with the two crank-pins and the link constituting a double-throw crank.

The lower ends of these connecting-rods, 30 and 33, are oscillatively attac-hed to two slides, 34 and 35, by means of pins 34 and 35', respectively. By reference to Fig. 5 it will be observed that these slides are preferably made rectangular in cross section, the two being adjacent and reciprocable within the square bore of the bushing 36 which is made in halves for the purpose of taking care of the lateral wear between the slides and bushing and also to facilitate and sim- Elify their manufacture. The bushing is eld in place within the hand-grip portion of the body by the screws 37.

Secured in any convenient manner to the lower end of the slide 35 is a needle 38 having a channel 38 formed on its forward side for the purpose of partially enclosing the rag or string used in the hooking operation while the needle is passing through the sheet being hooked, and secured to the lower end of the slide 34 is a follower 39, the lower end, for a spaced distance upwardly, being very thin and flexible and with a considerable inclination toward the needle. A channel 38'? is cut on the rearward side of the needle (38) to receive this follower (39) at certain times during the reciprocation of these two members. An eye 40, through which the hooking material may be reeved, is made on the lower end of the needle which is also slightly inclined inthe direction in which the machine is fed in operating.

Adjustably secured to the rearward side of the hand-grip 5, by means of the screws 41 which operate in the slot-41, is a leg 41 which may be raised or lowered on the handle a certain amount;

Jointedly secured to the lower end of the leg (41) is a presser-foot 42, the two meinbers being locked in any desired angular relation, one with the other, by means of the bolt 42. An opening 43 is cut in the presser-foot through which the needle and follower may operate. The presser-foot is intended, always, to lie fiat on the surface of the rug while the hooker is operating, and any change in the angular relationship between the presser-foot and the leg will result simply, and solely, in a change in the inclination ofI the leg.

In Fig. l5 we have shown a conventional method of attaching a flexible power shaft to the drive-sleeve 14. An adapter 44, to which the casing 45 of the flexible shaft 46 is secured, is threaded on to the upper end of the tubular projection 6. By means of the keyed end 46', of the flexible shaft plug, engaging a key-way 47 in the end of the drive-sleeve 14, the latter may be revolved through the agency of the shaft and any suitable prime move1,-such as the motor shown in Fig. 17.

In -operating the hooker it is very desirable to have instant control over the starting and stopping of the power actuation.

)Ve have provided for this by mounting on the hooker, at a convenient position above the handle 5, a trigger shaped lever 48, pivoting it on the pins 49. This lever (48) is bifureated, and the two branches of the biurcation surround the body of the hooker and extending rearwardly enclose, by a pivoted connection at 51, the lower end of' the connecting-rod 50. This member (50) extends upwardly and makes pivotal connection at 52 with the lever 25. A slot 53, in the connecting-rod 50 allows the latter to surround the bearing 2. A spring 54 normally holds the parts comprising the clutch operating mechanism in the osltion shown in full lines, Fig. 2,--the spring (54) being seated in pockets,-one, 55, in the bearing 2, and the other, 56, in a projection on the connecting-rod 50.

Whenever there is rotatable movement in the flexible shaft 46 the drive-sleeve 14 likewise is under rotation, but as the parts are positioned in Fig. 2 (full lines) no other elements are active. A slight pressure on Cil the trigger 48, however, will lift the clutch@ about to descend to the sheet. As it falls,

the follower rises, so that in Fig. 8l we have illustrated theposition of the parts after one half the cycle of the cranks has been made. On the upward stroke of the needle the rag will loop, as seen in Fig. 9, but justprevious to the complete withdrawal of the needle from the sheet the follower is starting to act to straighten out the loop,-the follower now being on the downward movement,-and by the time the needle has vreached its upward limit of travel the follower will have travelled its limit in the opposite direction and exercised its function as a loop .gauge or straightener, and-thus one full cycle of thecranks is completed and the parts are again returned to the position shown in Fig. 7.

By raising or lowering the leg 41 on the hand-gripl 5 a longer or shorter loop, respectively, will result, due, as will be obvious, to the fact that the needle and follower travel a greater or lesser distance, respectively, beyond the sheet in its downward passage through the same. This adjustability makes it possible to produce rugs of a great variety of thicknesses. n

It is often desirable, and sometimes necessary, to vary the stitch, or the distance between the consecutive loops. This contingency arises' when a lchange of the. maferial with which the rug is to be hooked becomes,imperative,-as when an intricate ligure is to be woven intov the design of the rug', or a more compact or a more loosely laid facing is calledl for. We effect this change of stitch by varying the. angle between the presser-foot 42 and the leg 41. Fig. 10 illustrates the feeding action of the follower when the leg stands at a substantially rightangle to the presser-foot. The full lines represent the follower about to enter the hole previously made by the needle. As it moves downwardly, the rearward side being inclined, the follower will force the presser-foot forwardly, so that at the termination of its full travel the former will have moved the latter to the position shown indot and dash lines, Fig. 10.

of the illustration that the reverse ceding action, or a movement of the presser-foot 'backwardly, might occur when the follower made its upward movement, and thus leave the machine in the position it originally occupied. We have demonstrated that such y1s not the case in actual practice, however. On its downward'movement the resistance of the follower through the sheet tends to lift the machine from the latterand allows it to slide ahead eaSily,-the inclined back of the follower in the perforation effecting the onward feed.` On returning, the same resistance exists but it is now on the forward instead of on the rearward side of the follower and the tendency is to hug or draw the sheet upwardly against the under side of the presser-foot with sufficient force y to overcome to a large extent the recession of the machine on the sheet. Then, too, the needle, entering the sheet in a new perforation somewhat in advance of the complete withdrawal of the follower from the old one, will give the machine a very slight movement ahead, due to the forward inclination of its point, and thus hold the machine from retracting in its feed,-the

follower, meantime flexing as it withdraws.`

If a coarser stitch'is required the body of the hooker is inclined by the adjustment of the bolt 42', so that the angle between the leg 41 and the presser-foot 42 is increased, as seen in Fig. 11,-the two characters a and b representmg the distance' betweenthe stitches in Figs. 10 and.4 11, respectively. In general, it may be said that increasing the angle above referred to lengthens the distance between the -consecutive stitches,-and vice versa.

Althoughrwe have illustrated the machine as a single unit hooker, it is apparent that seweral of these units might be constructed an multiple hooker. Or we may choose to so construct the device that more than one needle and follower may be mounted on each slide, placed ,sideby side, cross-wise laced side by side and operated as a y of the machine and multiply the number of stitches made at each reciprocationl of the Slides, as shown in Fig. 18.

The foregoingdescribesone, andl that a preferable embodiment of our invention,

but we may elect, and shall feel at vliberty to` make such ,minor changesI in the designv of parts 'as seem to us'desirable, pro-vided,"115

however, that at all times the meaning and intent of the invention shall not be ignoredy and that all such deviations from the exact mechanical construction as herein set forth shall fall within the scope of the appended clalms. l

What we claim is: 1.- In a machine for hooking rugs and the p -r like, a' body member, means on said bodyr l It might appear from a casual ins ection member for. the purpose of grasping the same with the hand, a disc rotatably mounted within said body, a double throw crank on said disc, slides reciprocable within said body, rods connecting said crank with said slides, a needle fixed on one of said slides, a,

follower fixed on another of said slides, the lower portion of said follower being bent toward said needle, a leg depending from said body and from the rearward side thereof, a presser-foot secured to the lower extremityof said leg and extending forwardly a spaced distance therefrom, and having an.

aperture 'therein in which said needle and said follower may operate, and means to vary the distance between consecutive stitches made by said machine.

2. In a machine for hooking rugs and the like, a body member, a handle subtending said body, slides adapted to reciprocate Within said handle, means for actuating said slides, a needlerhaving an eye therein, fixed in the lower end of one of said slides, lateral flanges extending forwardly on said needle for the purpose of partially encompassing the hooking material as it passes through the sheet being hooked, afollower, located rearwardly of and with its lower portion inclined toward the said needle, fixed in the lower end of another of said slides, a leg secured to and depending a spaced distance from'said handle, a presser-foot jointedly secured to the lower extremity of said leg and having an aperture through which said needle andsaid follower may actuate in the operation of said machine, and means for varying in predetermined degrees and at predetermined times the angular relationship between said leg and said presser-foot.

3. In a machine for hooking rugs and the like, a body member, a hand-grip downwardly disposed and integral with said body member, slides reciproeable within said hand-grip, means to actua'te said slides, a

needle having an eye therein and its pointedy end inclined forwardly fixed in one of said slides, lateral iianges extending rearwardly to form a channel on said needle, a follower, located rearwardly of and with its lower portion for a spaced distance upwardly inclined toward said needle, fixed in another of said slides, a leg depending from and secured to said hand-grip,a presser-foot, a clamp bolt adapted to secure said presserfoot to said leg at any predetermined angle therewith, means. for locating said presserfoot' a predetermined and variable distance from said hand-grip, whereby a longer or shorter loop may be had in the hooking operation, a clutch operable w1th1n said machine and adapted to engage and disengage the actuating power means therewith connected, and means incorporated in the structure of said machine whereby said clutch may be actuated by the hand of the operator which grasps the machine in operating.

4. In a machine for hooking rugs and the like, a body member of cylindrical shape, a depending portion from said cylinder and adapted to be used as a hand-grip by which said machine ma)v be guided over the sheet to be hooked, a bearing in the closed end of said cylinder, a shaft journallcd in said bearing, a disc fixed on said shaft, a doublethrow crank mounted on said disc, connect-- ing-rods adapted to operate over the pins on said cranks, slides reciproeable within the hand-grip portion of said machine, connecting means between said slides and said connecting-rods, a needle, having an eye therein and its free end for a spaced distance from the point forwardly inclined, fixed to one of the said slides, flanges on both the forward and rearward sides of said needle, a follower with its entering end for a spaced dist-ance inclined toward said needle fixed to another of the said slides, a leg mounted on the end portion of said hand-grip, a presserfoot attached to the free end of said leg, means to fix said presser-foot in various and predetermined positions on said leg, relative to their angular relationship, means to lengthen -and shorten in various and predeerinined amounts the distance between the said presser-foot and the said hand-grip, a cover for the purpose of closing the open end of said cylindrical portion of said body, a drive-sleeve adapted to be under continuous rotation, means for actuating said drive-sleeve, a. clutch, means t0 engage said clutch with said drive-sleeve and means whereby said clutch shall be automatically disengaged from said drive-sleeve whenever the machine is out of t-he operators hand, substantially as described.

JOHN A. BORROW S. CHE'SLEY T. SABINE. 

